The Glass Menagerie

     "Even when he wasn't mentioned, his [a gentleman caller] presence hung... like a sentence passed upon the Wingfields" (1244). At the beginning of scene three in The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, Tom, the narrator and son of Amanda, is telling the audience through first person point of view what an impact Amanda's want for a gentlemen caller has made in the Wingfield household. The above simile  shows that her "obsession" is taking a toll on their family, comparing it to a court or prison sentence. Amanda is doing everything she can to "help" Laura. But, in reality, this doesn't seem to be what Laura wants at all. Her mother is taking so much control of their lives that it seems to drive them all apart. Not only is she trying to control Laura's life, but Tom's as well. During an argument between Amanda and Tom, Amanda yells at Tom for talking back, to which he replies "No, no, I mustn't say things" (1246). Tom is being sarcastic here, because we know he will continue to talk back to his mother. The incessant fighting in the house seems to be rapidly increasing from what seemed like a happy, little family at the beginning of the play.